Let me first try to clear up the confusion about the nib sizes
available. The Japanese 'F' designation is actually like a western
xx-fine nib. The 'M' is like a
typical western fine nib. The 'B' nibs are actually cut as stub/italic nibs -- as you can see in the
photo above -- and they produce lovely, shaded writing. I don't have an exact
measurement of the 'B' nibs, but the thicker downstroke line would be similar to
a western light-medium or medium.

L to R: F, M, B, BB(these are working, inked nibs)

"Norman,
the pens and ink arrived today exactly as promised. The
finer point on the Pilot pen is perfect for my special
project requirements. The DUKE pen
is beautiful and smooth. Thank you for working with me to
match my needs to the proper instruments and for the
recommendation on the Private Reserve ink."

J. W., San Diego, CA

"Hi Norman!
Just wanted to let you know I got the Pilot 78G today. This
is a sweet little pen, I love the way how smoothly it
writes, even with the F (XF) nib. I also like how light it
is -- I can write for hours without my hand tiring. And that
Pilot converter is a perfect fit for an old Pilot Ecrino
that I have. Now I can finally get away with having to
refill an old cartridge with an eyedropper when I want to
use it. Thanks again!"

R. R., Philippines

"Dear Mr. Nibs: Pilot arrived safely.
Thank you for shipping so fast. This is my second Pilot and I
also like stub nibs...This one writes very nicely."B. M., Medford, OR

"Norman, I received the pen today! This is my first shall we
say "economy" pen. Boy, what a great pen! I've only used it
for a few pages worth of writing but it's just a fabulous
writer! If all your pens come with nibs this smooth you got
yourself a customer for life! I should review this with the
Namiki falcon that I have that doesn't write any better than
this pen at less than a 1/4 of the cost! Thanks again Norman,
you rock!

P.s. The handwritten note is a great
touch!"B. P., Bridport, VT

"Norman,
Just a quick note to say I'm quite pleased with the pen. I
purchased it for note taking at work primarily. It is totally
fit for that purpose and a great value. It is a super fine
writer with that F nib and, loaded with super saturated
Noodler's Black, it does not seem at all finicky on even the
most unworthy paper stock. The lines are smooth and crisp.
My interest in the CON-50 converter was unwarranted. The squeeze
style filler is not objectionable to me. Thank you, I
will be back!"

V. G., Amherst, NH

"Norman:
Received the Hero 616 and Pilot 78G today. Must say they're
great--properly tuned and ready to go to work! The 616 writes just
like my beloved Parker 51 Flighter (I'll use it for travel since
the Flighter has become to valuable to lose). The Pilot with the
F nib is perfect for my research notebooks (where I tend to write
with very small handwriting). Thanks! Fine pens and great
service. Have a great day!"
M. D., West Jordan, UT

"This is a long overdue note to let you know how much I love my
Teal Blue
and Red
Pilot 78G pens with Broad (italic) nibs! Simple. Elegant.
Handsome. Feather Quill Light of weight. Joys to use. I use
Private Reserve Blue Suede in
the Teal Blue
pen and Diamine Dragon Red
in the Red
pen. Perfect matches! I would proudly gift your Pilot 78G Broad
(italic) pens to friends with confidence. I had several times to
apply the graduated techniques you set out in your nib adjusting
tutorial that you emailed me to get them to lay down a consistent,
unscratchy, wet line, but I finally achieved it in both pens, and
they each now lay down a lovely, bold, italic line. I do hope you
will continue to offer them, as I want to add a black one and a
green one to my collection in due course, and I want to gift one
to each of a couple of old college buddies of mine. People often
actually comment, "Wow! What a cool pen! Where'd you get that?"
when I use either of them to sign credit card purchase receipts! I
doubt they even recognize them as fountain pens, but they're
clearly impressed with the look of the pens and with the bold,
colorful, italic line
they lay down, and that's fine with me, but I always say, "This a
fountain pen. You should try one sometime. It'll change your
life! I can refer you to a great source to buy one for only
twenty-five dollars. And you can use any ink colors you like in
them." So, thanks
again for a pair of lovely pens, Norman. I'm thrilled to have
them in my collection! And so... I'll be back! Hasta a vista,
baby!"
C. L., Burlington, VT

"Hello Norman, I picked up the pen
today. It's quite the dandy little writer. The super light weight
is different from any other pen that I own and I like it. Thanks
for your customarily excellent service."
Belliveau Cove, Canada

"Hi Norman, I received my Pilot 78G
yesterday and test drove it last night, what a smooth writing pen!
I love the italic nibs, I have two other italic nibs I use on my two
Lamy Safaris, and the italic nibs are always my first choice
anymore. I'm surprised they're not more popular and widely
available. Thank you for the genuine-ness of your service, and the
outstanding value of the 78G."
D. W., Patuxent River, MD

"Just wanted to let you know that the
pen arrived today and I must say I and my partner could not be
happier. The effort you do to make it so authentic and with note,
just blew us away. The wax stamp and the way you folded your note
was just over the top. Writes so smooth as well as just one of the
best items I have ever purchased. Thank you for your extremely fast
shipping and just overall wonderful experience. I will buy the "Victorian"
when it comes in."
J. M., Carson City, NV

"Norm, the Pilot 78's came yesterday and
I've inked and written with both of them. What fantastic pens. For the
past ten years, I've been a convert to the Pelikan Steno pens which
used to be sold by that online pen shop back east that closed down
recently. Of course, Pelikan has also stopped making the Steno pen.
Fortunately, I have half-a-dozen of them, but I have recently become
really interested in italic nibs. I have to tell you, the Pilot's are
simply magnificent. I'll be ordering the two colors I didn't get soon,
and maybe I can try out the Monteverde stub also. Thanks for the quick service and for the
great pens you sent."
T. M. Wichita, KS

"Hi Norman, I came back from a brief weekend
trip to find my pens and ink had arrived safely on Saturday. My
soon-to-be-5-year-old son and I had great fun cleaning the pens, and he
enjoyed watching me figure out how to ink them. It was surprisingly
easy, and we loved the colors of the ink. I put a different ink into
each of the 3 pens and wrote him a note using all 3—he loved it, and the
pens wrote very nicely. He also asked to add the wax seal from your
note to his collection of treasures, and he then sat down to write me a
note using a colored pencil (purple, to match the tanzanite ink). I
think you might have a future customer! The "F" nib 78G is amazing; I can't believe how
smooth it is, and the Monteverde Green
looks great in it. I think writing with the "B" nib is going to take
more practice to get it consistent, but I wrote a brief note with it
today with decent success. And I used the 702
to do some writing while I taught today—the line is beautiful, and it's
more comfortable than I expected a pen of that size to be. Thanks again
for your attention to the details from nibs to notes, and for providing
such excellent writing tools."
C. P., Easton, PA

"Hi Norman, just wanted to let you know I
received the pens and ink on Wednesday. Very fast shipping, even with the
border crossing. I love, love, love the pens. The Pilot 78G - both the F
and B nibs - are wonderful. Somehow my penmanship improve with both these
pens! The Hero 329 is also great - I love
the extra fine nib and this will now be my everyday writing pen. And
finally, I found inks that are beautiful, deep and bright in colour! The
Private Reserve Spearmint is the exact shade of green I was looking for
and the Purple Mojo is a wonderful shade of purple. By the way, I had
some issues filling the pens as I've never owned a pump style cartridge,
only piston style. But thanks to your video on YouTube, I was able to
follow your tips and now I'm good to go! Thanks again."
C. P., Oshawa, Canada

"Just as a further note about the
M 78G I’d just like to report how soooooo smooth it writes!!! It quite
definitely has the best “feel” of any of my FP’s (cheap & not so cheap
included)."
A. H., United Kingdom

"Hi
Norman, I received the pen this morning
[with an 'F' nib]. What a pleasant way to
start the day! The pen is wonderful and I already have spent the last two
hours writing with it. It writes very smooth and it suits me very well as
far as the grip size and the weight is concerned. Thanks a lot. It is a
real delight. I am really enjoying it."
S. S., France

"I have been using your pilot pen for over
a year; and, because of its lightness, smoothness and lack of fussiness,
find it excellent for endurance writing. It is also great for sketching.
A workhorse!"R. C., Denver, CO

"Hi Norman, I want to let you know that the
pens arrived and I have found both to be wonderful writers, each in its
own way. The M nib is like butter--so incredibly smooth. I have +200
dollar pens that can't come close. The B nib is like a slender
calligraphy pen (as your web page description indicates) and is a ton of
fun to play around with. Both have perfect ink flow, and both feel
really good in my hand. Thank you very much. I have been a
Pilot/Namiki fan for years, and it is nice to learn that their somewhat
more basic models are constructed to the same high standards (though I
am sure your nib tweaking helped)."
E. W., Chicago, IL

"First, I'm really enjoying the
pens I purchased. I haven't used a fountain pen since elementary school,
and I believe using one actually improves my (abysmal) handwriting. And
it's much less tiring than a ballpoint. I should have done this a long
time ago. All three I ordered from you [Dollar,
Camlin] write
beautifully, and the ink colors you picked for me are perfect."
V. C., Richmond, TX

"Just wanted to let you know that
the 2 Pilot 78G pens arrived safely on Monday and I'm enjoying them very
much. They are every bit as good as advertised, a lovely fine line that
works beautifully on my favourite papers. Thanks for your excellent
service and attention to quality. I'm sure I'll be darkening your
electronic door again in the future."
D. H., Toronto, Canada

From the blog,
http://www.elizabethperry.com/woolgathering/, of one of my
customers: "The person from whom I buy some of my
favorite pens always sends a folded note, handwritten in pen (of course),
and sealed with sealing wax. This was drawn with my new pen - a Pilot 78G.
Both pen and note arrived today."

"Hi
Norman, just to let you know, the Pilot G78 and the
Dollar pens arrived today. They are just great pens and just to my
liking, classic understated look, lightweight and with some “bite”. Your
reputation is well earned - these pens wrote right away without any
“breaking in” or extra cleaning, which is the normal routine for new pens
in my experience. Thanks for the personal note – that and the pens really
brightened up my day. In spite of the silly Danish Custom rules – it won’t
be the last time I buy here, it’s worth it."
H. N., Denmark

"Just wanted to say thank you Mr. Haase. I'm
now a very happy owner/user of a Pilot 78G. I thought I'd let you know
that with a bit of patience, even a lefty can use the B nib, no problems.
I've loaded it up with Noodler's Marine Green, and I just couldn't wait to
start writing holiday season greeting cards! I've attached a picture just
so you could see it can be done, please excuse the poor penmanship and
photography though...I just love this pen! Thank you for your note with
the writing samples."
B. B. Valdosta, GA

"The Pilot pens arrived safely and I'm very
pleased with their performance. Thank you very much for an extremely
positive shopping experience. I very much appreciate your handwritten
note. I must say that I'm a convert. I'm going to try to spread the
gospel of fountain pens to my family. I hope to be a repeat customer
soon.
H. M., Silver Spring, MD

"Norm, the Pilot pens arrived today and I am
most pleased. They are everything you described them to be and more. Also,
I am sincerely impressed as to the way you handle your product, your
customer, your business. Most PROFESSIONAL. Your handwritten note really
touched me and said it all so very well. Though you may be nearing
extinction as one who takes pride in his vocation, Keep It Up! I'm thankful
I have lived long enough to now be able to point to your way of doing
business as the best example.
To be sure, as soon as I obtain the resources, I'll be ordering more pens
from you. Thanks for all you do and the way you care.
T. G., Clinton, MS

"Norm, I
have been trying out my new Pilot for the last 2 weeks and dubbed it my Ever ready.Unlike my much more
expensive Parker 75, the Pilot lays down a nice line of ink every time I take
off its cap---no coaxing, no shaking, no licking the tip to get it started."
J. K., Evergreen Park, IL

"Norman, the pens arrived and are wonderful. The
Duke is a Gorgeous pen and an incredibly smooth
writer (given your adjustments), the ink flow is perfect for me! The Pilot is
an incredible value, the stub nib writes wonderfully and it seems to be a
great value in an everyday writer. I believe I remember that it comes in a BB
nib as well, if so I will be ordering one. I love stub nibs and the nib is
what makes that pen a great piece. Thanks for your prompt service. Till next
time...."
A. R., Huntington, NY

"By the way, the Pilot pen in my last order has
been a true pleasure to write with. I really believe the additional service
you provide of checking every nib is a tremendous plus. I very much like the
idea of taking the pen out and start writing immediately, without the surprise
of a bad (poorly tuned) nib. Many thanks."
M. B., Rancho Palos Verdes, CA

"The pen arrived yesterday. WOW what
a great writer. I now have a new favorite pen. Your charming note convinced me
that I'll enjoy the Fine just as much as the Broad, so I'll be ordering one
sometime in the next few weeks. Thank you for your great service!"J. R., Charlottesville, VA

"Norman - I just wanted to let you
know that my package has arrived. The 78G Fine is every bit as sweet and smooth
as all the fellow FPN board members have claimed. The lineweight is also
perfect. I just LOVE IT.
Thanks for your great service for a small order like mine and I would surely
order from you again."
K. L., Washington, D.C.

"Hello Norman, delighted with the
pen which arrived today. As you know, I'm a great fan of italic writing and its
not at all easy to find pens with nibs as good as these, and at a bargain price.
Thanks again."
R. W., Glasgow, Scotland

"Hi Norman, the pens are excellent!
I received the package about a week ago, but actually tried them yesterday. The
delivery took about a week. My kids and I are delighted, the writing is smooth
and effortless. Those Pilot pens are pure pleasure,
mini Torpedo is a blast! Mini torpedo is pleasantly heavy and sits nicely in
the hand. Posting is not a problem at all, I mean, once you know the trick. Many
many thanks!"
B. R., Nepean, Canada

"Dear Norman,
thank you for filling my order for the Pilot 78G (B). I have used it many times
since receiving it and I am thrilled at how well it works. At such a low price,
it's quite a value. I'm planning to order the BB in a few weeks.J. H., Fort Wayne, IN

"Hi Norman! I
received my newest treasure from you, Forest Green, Fine nib, Pilot 78G, and
have been happily journaling, and note taking with this amazing little pen.
Thanks to your fine tuning, this pen skates nicely across my paper (Apica
notebooks, Levenger Notabilia, and for good measure a little pocket sized
moleskine square ruled journal) The ink flow is just right for me and I can say
that this pen will be one of my 'go to pens' and see a lot of use. Thanks so
very much for your great nib skills and light speed shipping!...In the
palace of Hisnibs.com, the Pilot 78G shines as bright as any gemstone and guided
by your handiwork, it can truly be called a jewel among pens. Could you tell I
really like the pen?"
R. L., Spokane, WA

"Today I've been writing with my
Pilot 78G--it's my favorite pen! I also own a vintage Pelikan 100N, a Sailor
Sapporo, 2 Pelikan 200s, two vintage Watermans, and a Conway Stewart Dandy,
among many others.
B. T., Troy, AL

"Norman, my
Pilot 78G has arrived! This pen is everything the reviews said it was, great
line variation, smooth nib, easy to write with. etc,. I filled it with Private
Reserve DC Supershow Blue and could not believe how beautiful this little pen
writes, it really brings some personality to my handwriting. It arrived 2 days
after it was ordered, and I really appreciate the handwritten note you
enclosed with the writing samples of the other nibs. Personal service like
this is hard to find, and I will be purchasing from you again in the near
future. Thanks again."R. S., Olmos Park, TX

"Norman, just wanted to let you know
that after a few weeks of use, the Pilot 78G has become my favorite everyday
pen. The combination of size, weight and nib fit exceptionally well with my
needs. Thanks for recommending it. I'm also sold on the Private Reserve ink.
I'll be back for more."
B. C., Wheeling, WV

"I wanted to let you know that after
using the pen daily I am very happy with it. The 78g B nib is smooth and gives
me the line variation I have been looking for. Thanks for the great service."
J. H., Rockwood, TN

Hi Norman, I got the pen today. The
postman tried to deliver on Friday, but no one was home to sign for the package,
so I had to wait until today to get to the post office. It's probably a good
thing; if I had had the pen over the weekend, not much would have gotten done
around here. So I played with the pen all day at work, grabbing one type of
paper after another to try it out. In a nutshell, I'm so impressed at the
quality of the nib in a $25 pen. Of course, I know that you also take a look at
the nibs before you send a pen out.
I wasn't able to do the usual wash-up the nib
business at the office, so I inked it with the Midnight Blues I got from you.
First time I put it to paper, I had a line! Norm, I'm still trying to get a
decent line from my $120 Waterman Carene. Maybe I should sell the Carene and
get four/five more of these? And it's a nice looking and very comfortable pen
to hold....Thanks very much, Norm! It's always a pleasure to buy a pen from
HisNibs.com. J. L., Atlanta, GA
"Hi Norm, I received the pen
yesterday, and I must say, it was worth it. I've been playing with it since, and
it's stays on me wherever I go. I thought it was a shame that I write ugly with
something so fun to write with, so I've decided to improve my handwriting...
Thanks so much!"
I. S., Champaign, IL

"Norman, Received the Pilot 78G "M"
nib in the mail this morning. Inked the FP with Noodler's Hunter Green. The nib
is very smooth and the pen weighs almost nothing. Have been using the pen most
of the day taking notes at work. It is a very good pen for the money.
Thank you for the fast service."
D. J., Martinsville, IN

"Received my order in good time and
have tried out two of them already. The Pilot with the B nib is great,
especially for your price. Works good for me, as I am a left handed writer. I
have also tried the Wing Sung and it is the first
fine nib I have tried that works for me as a lefty. I have avoided fine nibs
because they
normally do not work for my left hand but this one is great. Many thanks for
"fixing up" the nibs."R. H., Dixon, IL

"The Pilot 78G is the M-14 of pens. Not the biggest
boomstick or with the most bling, but dependable and perfect as an everyday
carrying piece."D.O., Pensacola, FL

"Norman, Just a note to let you know
that I got the Pilot 78G with "B" nib sometime ago. The instrument is a real
pleasure to write with, so much so that I find myself using it for normal,
everyday use. It may seem
small in comparison to my other pens but it really is comfortable in my hands."C. B., military address

"A couple of months ago, I ordered a
Pilot 78 from you. After considerable use, I just wanted to write and add my
voice to the chorus of praise for this pen. It's a marvelous little daily
writer, made all the more desirable by your attractive pricing. The nib is
smooth with a hint of flex and I find the ink flow to be just right -- not to
much nor too little. It's an attractive pen, looking much richer than it's
actual cost. And it is incredibly light. It's one of a handful of pens I write
with the cap on. Just to let you know, Pilot / Namiki cartridges fit this pen
perfectly."
D. H., Gainesville, GA

"I just received the Pilot stub nib. Very nice.
It's easier to use for ordinary writing than a calligraphy italic nib."
S.C., Clifton, NJ

"I received the pens today. The 237-1 Accountant pens are very good writers, and the
Pilot 78G pen with a fine nib point is simply terrific - a very smooth and
capable writing instrument!! I also wish to thank you for the handwritten note
using a variety of nibs and inks - much appreciated."
C. S.,
Zabbar, Malta

"Norman, I just wanted to let you
know that I received my pens on Wednesday and I was very pleased with them!
Especially the Pilot, it's the best pen that I've ever bought for less than $30.
The nib on it is buttery smooth! Plus your shipping was lightning fast and very
reasonable. I will definitely be ordering from you again!"
Josh
Haney, New Castle, IN

"Hi, Norman - These Pilots really
and truly are terrific pens. I've been using them and the [Hero] 329
exclusively for almost a month and it's all good! Haven't touched my Pelikans
and old Parkers in quite a while...Thanks a million."
C. D., Berkeley, CA

"Boy, for the price you can't beat
this little guy, can you. Love the look of the line the nib lays down [referring to 'B' nib].
Very light and very simple and elegant. Thanks so much!"
K. C., Lincoln, NE

"Hi Norman, I have received the
Pilot 78G pens and they are lovely! What great little writers, and such good
value. :D The nibs are amazingly smooth and super-fine, one of the nicest nibs
I've ever come across [referring to 'F' nib].
I'm kicking myself for not ordering a dark green one too! Let me know if you
ever see more!"
LMY, Gladstone, Australia

"Thanks! I received the Pilot 78G
today and inked it with Private Reserve Black Cherry. It's a very fine line [referring to 'F' nib] (almost as fine as the Hero 237-1 XF) and a shockingly
smooth writer. Very solid and
well-made too, it has a nice weight for a plastic pen. Very nice!"
M. M., Salt Lake City, UT

One of my suppliers in China came across these lovely, mid-sized
fountain pens from Pilot of Japan. He believes that the 78G is a discontinued
model, which would make these NOS (new, old stock). In any case, he sent me a
sample of one a couple of months ago, and I've been putting it through its paces
ever since, and I'm very happy with the results and my experience using the pen.

These
are acrylic pens, so very light-weight. One can therefore write for hours
without any fatigue. They measure 5-1/8" capped and 5-3/4" posted. The clip says
'Pilot' near the bottom and the wider of the two cap rings is interrupted on the
back of the cap with 'Japan'.

The cap itself screws onto the barrel and when removed reveals
the gold-plated steel, spear-shaped nib. As mentioned above, the 'F' nib
is equivalent to a western x, or even xx-fine, the 'M'
nib to a western fine, and the
'B' is actually a
stub/italic.

These nibs are marked "Pilot Super Quality Japan M", with each
word engraved vertically down the nib (it's a little hard to make out in my
photo). Interestingly, the ink-overflow combs of the feed underneath the nib run
parallel to the length of the nib, unlike the usual transverse arrangement. I
can say that they work just as well .

Unscrewing
the section from the barrel displays the pump or squeeze style of filler for
bottled ink.

IMPORTANT SERVICE NOTE:
Every nib that ships from His Nibs is
closely examined under high magnification and tuned or adjusted if needed. About
85% of modern nibs need some adjustment out-of-the-box from the manufacturer for
an optimal writing experience. Most commonly, the tines of the nib are
misaligned -- which would cause scratchiness at the minimum; the slit
between the tines is partially or fully closed -- which would starve the nib of
ink and at best cause skipping; or the slit between the tines is too wide
-- which will either again cause skipping, or conversely, flooding. There
are other factors -- such as separation of the nib from the feed -- that
are inspected and repaired before any pen leaves the Palace.

The only 100% guarantee of coursecomeswhen the pen is
actually filled with ink and written with for the first time, but our
pre-shipping inspections and tunings have eliminated 99.99999 (my finger is
getting tired) of the frustrations that a customer experiences when first using
a new fountain pen. Although this can be time-consuming on occasion, it affords
our customers a much more pleasant experience when receiving a fountain pen from
His Nibs -- and saves us the frustration of dealing with returns!

We will email you back with
your order total (PA residents please add 6% sales tax)

Credit cards, for the quickest fulfillment
of your order, are accepted through PayPal, a secure site
allowing you to use your credit card without us even seeing the information. If you'd like to make use of this credit card
service, please let us know when you email your order and address, and we'll
email you the appropriate Request for Payment, and
instructions for the simple payment procedure (you don't need to join PayPal to
use it).

If you would like us process your
credit card directly instead, then please email us:

1. Card # (dividing this number in two, between two emails, will
ensure security)
2. Expiration date
3. Name on card
4. Address for billing statement
5. Card verification # (3-digit number printed on the back of your card. It
appears after and to the right of your card number, or 4-digit number on the
front of your AMEX card).

If you'd rather pay by money order or
check, kindly make payable to:

His
Nibs.com
2540 W. Union Street
Allentown, PA 18104

We
ship via insured Priority Mail
(email for cost)

Warranties and returns

If an item proves to be
defective, in most cases the manufacturer's warranty will apply.
However, please email us first so that we can determine the easiest
way to resolve the problem to your satisfaction. In the case of
fountain pens -- which are a bit more individualistic than other
writing instruments -- what may at first appear to be a defect (hard
starting or poor flow for example), can in almost all cases be
resolved with a few simple 'tweaks' to the nib, which we'll be happy
to guide you through or perhaps suggest returning to us for
adjustment.

Should you wish to return a
non-defective item within 3 days of receipt because it doesn't suit
you for some reason, again please email us and we'll arrange an
exchange, credit or refund (minus any shipping/insurance charges),
if the item is returned in an 'as new' condition. If you've dipped a
fountain pen to try its writing characteristics, kindly clean off
any ink residue prior to shipping -- to save us both a nasty
surprise .

We want you to be happy with
your purchase from HisNibs.com and hope to have you join the ranks
of our many long-term, repeat customers!